| THE BORIC ACID MURDER
St. Martin's, May 2002, 23.95, 280 pp. ISBN 0312285027 When her fiancée died a few weeks before the wedding Gloria Lamerino packed her bags and moved to California where she taught physics at a major university for thirty years. Upon her retirement, she moved back to her home in Revere, Massachusetts when she meets homicide detective Matt Gennara. For the first time in three decades, she is in a serious relationship while also serving as a special science consultant to the police. Matt and Gloria are eating dinner at the home of her good friends Frank and Rose Galigani when the police suddenly show up to take the son John of their hosts in for questioning in the death of his ex-girlfriend, Angel Fiore. Even though circumstantial evidence points to John as the murderer, Gloria knows he didn't do it and sets out to prove it with a little help from Matt. Camille Minchino is a dynamite writer showing readers that life including sex remains strong after fifty. The heroine is gutsy and smart, as she is not afraid to find a killer among a plethora of suspects. The plot is intricately woven with enough red herrings purposely placed into the story line to keep readers from guessing who the real killer is. The BORIC ACID MURDER is a who-done-it that keeps the reader's attention so they won't miss out on the real clues hidden in the overall tale. Harriet Klausner | ||
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Plot & Themes Tone of story - Dry-cynical How difficult to spot villain? - Very difficult--no foreshadowing/clues Time/era of story: What % of story relates directly to the mystery, not the subplot? - 60% Kind of investigator Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book Any non-mystery subplot? descript. of violence and chases - 10 % Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 60 % Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 20 % How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 10 % Crime Thriller Yes Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes Main Character Gender - Female Profession/status: Age: - 40's-50's Ethnicity/Race Main Adversary Identity: - Male Age: - 40's-50's Profession/status: Motive of antagonist - power How sensitive is this character? Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters Setting United States Yes The US: - Northeast Writing Style Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog |
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